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SCMP Reporter

STAR TV has agreed to tone down raunchy Hindi videos beamed to India on its music channel, in line with a request from the censors in New Delhi.

  The Indian High Commission in Hong Kong confirmed that the satellite broadcaster had been asked to go along with the Indian censors following a new trend in risque songs from the subcontinent.

  The general manager of STAR TV's new Channel V, Don Atyeo, said: ''This is a very hot issue in India at the moment because these songs contain a lot of double meanings, which I think have caused the most offence.

  ''The decision of the censors in Delhi is not binding on us, although I don't think we will be at odds with what the Indian Government is recommending because what they are saying is sensible stuff.''   Questions were raised in India's Parliament this week over the ''vulgar'' songs and accompanying video clips aired by STAR TV that MPs say are ruining the morals of Indian youth.

  Offensive lyrics in Hindi songs are a recent phenomenon, but the Censor Board in New Delhi reacted quickly by taking a tougher stance and adopting more stringent approval procedures.

  A recent survey confirmed that most people in New Delhi believed raunchy songs and violence on television had contributed to a rise in crime.

  The consul for trade and public relations at the Indian High Commission in Hong Kong, Deebak Ray, said the Indian Government had asked the commission to contact STAR TV to request that it go along with the ban.

   ''We have asked that all programmes which do not conform to the Indian Censor Board's requirements should not be broadcast,'' Mr Ray said.

  ''STAR TV responded by giving me a verbal assurance that such programmes would not be beamed to India.''   The commission is now waiting to hear from New Delhi to find out whether the ''offensive'' material has been kept off Indian television screens.

  Mr Atyeo said STAR TV's music channel had only recently started playing Indian videos but would begin putting out a lot more in the coming months.

  ''At the moment we are only playing parts of songs and have not really come up against any problems.'' 



Hindi music videos to be cleaned up